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3 N.Y. men accused of fraud in Flagler

JULIE MURPHYSTAFF WRITER

Published: Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 4:47 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 7:58 p.m.

PALM COAST — Three New York men who said they were on their way home from Miami were stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who found guns, stolen credit cards and equipment to punch numbers into credit card blanks in their vehicle.

Caisy A. Frank, 32, was pulled over on Interstate 95 south of State Road 100 at 2 p.m. Wednesday because the window tint was too dark, in addition to a tinted tag cover, a report states. Allen Douglas Howard, 35, and Clyde Keys, 22, were passengers in the car.

"While talking to Frank, I smelled a strong odor known to me as raw cannabis coming from the vehicle's interior," reported Trooper D.S. Cimino. Cimino called for backup and used "K-9 Ronnie" to do "an open air sniff of the vehicle," and the dog made a "positive alert."

Two guns — a Glock and a Ruger 9 mm and additional loaded magazines — were found in the center console, the report states. The Glock was reported stolen out of Davie.

Troopers also found "12 credit cards all with different names under the control panel in the driver's door," as well as "pieces of marijuana on the floorboard," according to the report. Additionally, a small credit card scanner and a handwritten list of card numbers were found under a plastic panel. There was also a blank check under the floor mat in the name of a New York resident.

"Further search revealed dozens of blank PayPal MasterCards and a piece of equipment used to stamp numbers into blank credit cards," Cimino reported. "An additional credit card reader, three laptops, an iPod, multiple iPhones, 10 new iPods, (and) cash were also located in the vehicle along with piles of expensive clothing and jewelry, which all still had the tags on."

A Secret Service Special Agent met with troopers.

"(The agent) advised that the machine found in the vehicle was used to make credit cards and one of the devices looked to be a device to change the magnetic strip on credit cards," Cimino reported.

All three men were booked into the Flagler County Inmate Facility where they remained Thursday on multiple fraud and weapons charges. Howard's bail was set at $35,000, Keys' was $60,000, and Frank's was $90,000.

<p>PALM COAST &mdash; Three New York men who said they were on their way home from Miami were stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who found guns, stolen credit cards and equipment to punch numbers into credit card blanks in their vehicle. </p><p>Caisy A. Frank, 32, was pulled over on Interstate 95 south of State Road 100 at 2 p.m. Wednesday because the window tint was too dark, in addition to a tinted tag cover, a report states. Allen Douglas Howard, 35, and Clyde Keys, 22, were passengers in the car. </p><p>"While talking to Frank, I smelled a strong odor known to me as raw cannabis coming from the vehicle's interior," reported Trooper D.S. Cimino. Cimino called for backup and used "K-9 Ronnie" to do "an open air sniff of the vehicle," and the dog made a "positive alert." </p><p>Two guns &mdash; a Glock and a Ruger 9 mm and additional loaded magazines &mdash; were found in the center console, the report states. The Glock was reported stolen out of Davie.</p><p>Troopers also found "12 credit cards all with different names under the control panel in the driver's door," as well as "pieces of marijuana on the floorboard," according to the report. Additionally, a small credit card scanner and a handwritten list of card numbers were found under a plastic panel. There was also a blank check under the floor mat in the name of a New York resident. </p><p>"Further search revealed dozens of blank PayPal MasterCards and a piece of equipment used to stamp numbers into blank credit cards," Cimino reported. "An additional credit card reader, three laptops, an iPod, multiple iPhones, 10 new iPods, (and) cash were also located in the vehicle along with piles of expensive clothing and jewelry, which all still had the tags on." </p><p>A Secret Service Special Agent met with troopers. </p><p>"(The agent) advised that the machine found in the vehicle was used to make credit cards and one of the devices looked to be a device to change the magnetic strip on credit cards," Cimino reported.</p><p>All three men were booked into the Flagler County Inmate Facility where they remained Thursday on multiple fraud and weapons charges. Howard's bail was set at $35,000, Keys' was $60,000, and Frank's was $90,000.</p>